A Glass House
by looren gay
Summary: Au where wealthy railroad tycoon Levi that takes a young and pretty Mikasa as his bride,it's an arranged marriage which levi isn't too excited about but soon he finds his new wife to be an intelligent and fierce woman who can be hard to handle and he finds himself falling in love with her at their new summer home in Asheville, NC.
1. Chapter 1: Arrangements

**This was inspired by a trip I took to the Bilmore House in NC because I am a cheesy sap at heart and I love stories with a beauty and the beast feel to it**

**but be warned that this does have some sexist undertones to it because of the time period but dont worry our Mikasa shows him whats up**

**The rating will also most likely go up**

**so yea I hope you like it and let me know what you think c:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own SNK/AOT**

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These parties were tiresome for Levi, he was the first to admit he was not a socialite and did not get on well with all the stuffed shirts in the room. They were loud, full of smoke, and usually were a waste of air. The men were chatting in the billiard room of the estate Levi was currently visiting, the room was ornate with dark brown moldings across the ceilings and cushy red chairs with small tables surrounding a large pool table that looked wonderfully handcrafted although no one was currently playing.

It was usually his friend Erwin that managed to drag him to these things, Levi only agreed to come if there was some benefit to his company. Most of the people in the room regarded Levi with a begrudging respect and knew not to mess with him.

It was known that he built his fortune and company up from almost nothing unlike most of the legacies in New York. He was left with a failing business by his shitty father and after spending a few years on the streets as a notorious criminal, he was able to gain the wits that lead him to become who he was today. People knew him for being ruthless and cutthroat in how he ran his business, he made sure no mistakes were made and no one ever screwed him over. He owned more land than anyone else in this room and he alone controlled the railways and steamboats in the entire country, he could decide the fate of a single company in an instant.

Erwin Smith was a key contribution in the success of his business so for that Levi was eternally grateful and he was able to form a strong friendship with the man that benefitted not only both companies but both people as well.

Levi could be social when he wanted to but it was hard to make true friendships in his world. Most people were backstabbing and corrupt with no idea of the meaning of the word loyalty. Erwin was one of the rare people who understood what it was like live in poverty. He built his own company from the ground up and was a prominent manufacturer of steel and iron. Together they were an unstoppable team that was launching the country into a new era of industry and growth. They wanted more than just a great business, they wanted a world where people were able to learn, build and share their resources to provide a better life for the people who were living in such shitty conditions as Levi and Erwin both experienced as children.

Levi looked around the room over his glass of brandy and saw several men who were currently trying to fight them tooth and nail. He was carefully watching the stock exchanges and what these companies were investing in. He would make sure to know everything about a company that was a threat to him and he could wait very patiently for one small error that would be useful for nipping a problem in the bud.

"Levi, what are you plotting now" Erwin chuckled. He refilled his glass of Brandy and eyed Levi thoughtfully. Levi sat down his own glass and leaned back in the red wing backed chair silently.

"I know that face, Levi. Don't act like everyone is the enemy, it's bad for business" he scolded playfully. Levi rolled his eyes and took another sip of his drink. This party was becoming dull fast and he wanted to leave soon but people kept asking about the summer home he was building in the southern mountains.

"I have plenty of friends Erwin, but I prefer to keep my enemies closer" Levi retorted sarcastically. He knew his attitude tonight was rather unpleasant but he couldn't bring himself to care. He normally tried to make polite conversation to stay on top of matters but he couldn't tonight after the stress of having a company attempt to betray him. He cared about his company more than he did about the feelings of some rich assholes.

"Levi, you know one company is no match for you" Erwin reminded him. Levi knew this but if he were to pull out of something as large an oil company and it were to fail he would cause hundreds of men to lose their jobs. Levi was many things but he was not some who could ruin the lives of all those innocent people.

"hmp" Levi snorted. He was tired of his friends annoying telepathy. It made him uneasy at times. Erwin offered a cigar to him and he shook his head, those things gave him splitting headaches.

"You know what you need?" Erwin asked suddenly with a grin plastered onto his smug face. Levi didn't want to know what Erwin thought he needed. Levi sighed and eyed him wearily.

"What do I need? Pray tell" Levi wandered out loud. He took a long swig of his drink while he waited for his friend to speak.

"You need a beautiful wife to go along with that beautiful house you're building" he answered pointing directly at Levi. Levi choked on his drink and it caused Erwin to laugh at him. Levi wiped his mouth with a cloth on the dark oak table and sighed heavily.

"What the hell do I need a wife for?" Levi hissed. Erwin better be glad that the tea didn't get on his shirt, it would've stained.

Levi's time was taken up by work, he would never be able to find time and get married.

"A pretty young wife would make you seem more pleasant than you really are" he informed him. Levi rolled his eyes.

'"I've made it this far without a wife, I think it'll be okay" Levi sighed. He didn't really feel like discussing this nonsense. It was clear to him that this was a ridiculous idea.

"Listen to me Levi. All jokes aside, you need someone to pass your company down to and your fortune. If you died tomorrow what would happen to everything you've worked so hard to build? It would be a waste to let all that fall to ruin" Erwin explained seriously. Levi thought about what his friend just said. He was making sense but it still didn't explain exactly how he was going to be able to spend time finding someone who would want to marry him.

"Erwin, I appreciate the thought but it's not something I have time for" Levi tried to reason with him.

"You only need to spend enough time choosing an eligible young lady and then once you marry her you can sit back and work. Then all the potential business partners will be so impressed by your estate and your beautiful wife that they will fail to notice your sour attitude" Erwin said to him with a grin. Levi narrowed his eyes at the man sitting in front of him. He always pointed out Levi's demeanor, like it had an effect on how successful he was.

"The only part of your reasoning that makes any kind of sense would be me needing an heir" Levi stated. He didn't particularly like small kids but he would need someone to take over after he was too old or died.

"Then it's settled, I already have three young daughters from great families that are prime candidates" Erwin sang and pulled out a newspaper from his pocket. Levi's mouth fell open as he watched him.

"What the hell Erwin, have you been planning this?" Levi asked incredulously. Erwin chuckled as he handed Levi one article. Levi looked at it and read the headline that said 'Braus Inc. to build new skyscraper'.

"This is family has an 18 year old daughter who I heard is very pretty but apparently a little eccentric" Erwin noted, Levi continued to stare at him in disbelief.

"Right, she's probably not your type. Here look at the Reiss family, their daughter is 17 and she's a Duchess" he explained to Levi while handing him another article about the debut of their daughters coming of age.

Levi was still in shock that this man was actually already planning this out but he figured he shouldn't be surprised, this man was constantly plotting something.

"And you accused me of plotting" Levi whispered sarcastically while looking at the photograph of the little blonde girl. Neither of the two girls were ugly but he was still put off by the idea of an arranged marriage. He knew that many people of their social status did it, it was frowned upon marrying someone of a lower class. Levi didn't necessarily believe in class systems but he had to abide by them if he wanted to keep his business's reputation intact.

"I admit it, I was looking into this for a while but you should know I am just looking out for you" He claimed. Levi looked at him suspiciously but said nothing.

"Did you say you had three?" Levi asked hoping that the third girl would seem more appealing.

"Ah yes, the only daughter of the Ackerman family" Erwin told him. Levi's head instantly shot up when he heard the family name.

"You mean the Ackerman Publisher Co.? They had a daughter?" He questioned Erwin. He was interested in this because they were gaining a large amount of recognition from all across the world. Levi's goals in this life was to take his company global. If they could write articles to publicity for his company then it could do wonders for his plans of expansion.

"Yes one in the same, they do indeed have young 19 year old daughter, although I have no idea what she is like, they keep her locked up so no one knows exactly what she looks like or how she acts. I have however heard rumors from people that her father is trying to have her married soon" Erwin mentioned.

Levi set his lips in a thin line. He could marry this girl and potentially help set his company on the way to an international scale or he could not get married as he wanted and potentially give up this opportunity. He thought about it silently but realized his mind was already made up when he heard who the family was.

"Well, I guess I should see for myself" Levi decided. Erwin gave him a triumphant smile.

"I knew you would come around" He cheered, taking a swig of his Brandy. Levi nodded his head and took a sip of his own drink. This decision would definitely have consequences but he couldn't foresee if they would prove to be positive or not yet.

Levi's carriage pulled up in front of the Ackerman estate in Rhode Island after one four hour train ride and another hour in a horse and buggy. He was still sore from the ride and agitated that Erwin talked him into this. A tall footman stood at the large double door entry way of the large white estate belonging to the family of the woman he would most likely marry.

"Right this way, sir. The others will retrieve your luggage" the man ushered Levi inside the doors and lead him into a large parlor where Mr. Ackerman was sitting at a grand cream colored breakfast table. The room was all in whites. With wispy billowing white curtains across the large windows and gold framed paintings decorated the off-white walls. The floor was made of a white and grey marble. It made him cringe with how much white was in it, it almost hurt his eyes.

"I'm so glad you made it safely, Levi. How was your trip?" Mr. Ackerman bellowed as he saw him enter the room. Levi sat down in an empty chair at the table across from the man.

"It was tiring but the area around here is very lovely this time of year." Levi replied as a butler served him some fresh black tea.

"Yes the flowers are just starting to bloom, but next month is when all the plants truly flourish." He practically sang. Levi cringed internally, he hated small talk about the weather.

"You know I was truly surprised when I received your letter about possibly marrying my dear daughter, I have been watching you since the birth of your great company, truly riding in your trains are the only way I like to travel and your story is very inspiring. I've also heard a lot of talk of a beautiful estate you're building down south." He gushed. Levi was glad that the man seemed to take to him quickly.

"I'm glad to hear that, I do believe I have done the same with your publishers and yes it should be ready in just a few more months." Levi countered with honesty, he was always glad to hear good reviews.

The man laughed loudly. "Oh, you are as serious as people say. I think you and my daughter would get along, she does have a rather dry sense of humor. I have to be honest she has not been brought up as proper as most young ladies in our social circles but I can assure you she is more lovely than all of them put together. Would you like a tour of the house? I was hoping the wedding could take place here, her dear mother would've wanted that" Mr. Ackerman informed him. Levi was surprised that he seemed to agree to the wedding so quickly, they haven't even met yet.

"Sure, I would love a tour" Levi agreed.

Mr. Ackerman lead him through the large gardens were he said he wanted the ceremony to be held and he was informed that just over 600 guests were to be invited if he agreed to marrying his daughter. Levi told him he had no family to invite so they could invite whoever they wanted but he never imagined that large of a number would be attending. Next they went to the ballroom of the estate to show how the reception would be planned.

The room was very large and had a large grand staircase in the centered of it with almost 10 large glass chandlers handing from the tall ceilings. The walls had floor to ceiling windows that opened up to show the gardens. It was a grand site and wasn't all one color so this room was more pleasing to Levi's eyes than some of the other rooms.

They talked about the white lilies and pink roses that his late wife loved, how he wanted the entire night to be remembered throughout history, and Levi was horridly bored with the conversation and he was glad that Mr. Ackerman was so keen on planning the entire thing.

"Where is your daughter?" he asked suddenly while Mr. Ackerman was discussing the types of china he preferred.

He looked up at Levi with a devious smile.

"Mikasa is in her room getting ready, I thought you two would enjoy dinner together this evening alone" he mentioned. Levi instantly felt nervous, he would see the woman he would probably marry for the first time. This was the first time he even heard her name mentioned, it was exotic sounding and nothing like he had ever heard before.

They walked through the last of the wedding details and he was finally able to go to his room and freshen up before dinner, he felt over whelmed but it wouldn't last forever. They would just be married and then all this would be over and he could go back to his normal life and continue expanding his business.

A knock on the door signaled dinner was ready and Levi put on his black coat and walked behind the butler who led him downstairs into a small breakfast room with two places set at the table. He sat down in one of the maroon upholstered chairs. She wasn't at the table yet and he couldn't squash the irritated feeling at her being late.

Levi sighed and drank some of the tea that was already on the table. He sat the cup back down when he heard the door open and a house maid announced the arrival of lady Mikasa. He watched as the door opened all the way and he almost spit out his tea that he had just taken a sip of.

Mikasa was standing there in the doorway. She was wearing a cream colored dinner dress with gold trimming around the sleeves, collar, and ruffles in the bottom of the skirt. The silk material swished as she walked toward the table. He noticed the bodice of the dress was tight which then flared out at the hips and the neck line was dangerously low with dainty pearl necklace around her slender neck. If it had been a public event the dress might cause scandal but he figured her father was trying to show off what would be his after they were married.

Her black hair was pulled up into a lose bun with little curls hanging around her dark grey eyes, the darkness of her hair and eyes contrasted shockingly with her pale skin. He tried not to stare but her father wasn't lying about how beautiful she was. The only thing that wasn't seemly perfect about her appearance was a small scar located on her left cheek, but even then her beauty was not dulled.

Levi was shocked and he wondered how he had not heard any talk of her. Levi had been to many social gatherings and talked to many important people who loved talking about beautiful eligible women but not once had he heard about the Ackerman daughter. He felt that something was not right about that picture. He pondered why such a woman would be hidden by a man with such wealth and power.

He realized that he was staring at her in silence. Levi cleared his throat and tried to think of something to say. She was sitting across from him and she looked uncomfortable, her dark eyes were casted down and they seemed distant.

"You're dress looks lovely, who made it?" he asked trying to think of a conversation a woman would be interested in. He knew only a few designers by name.

She looked down on her dress and then shrugged.

"I don't know" she stated quietly. Levi felt taken a back, most woman and girls he met that came from wealthy families loved to talk about dresses and their designers. She didn't even seemed interested in it at all. She went back looking down and he felt an awkward tension hanging in the air around him. The door opened and a butler with a tray full of food and drink.

They sat in silence as the food was served. The butler announced that they were having roasted quail with various other side dishes Levi didn't really care for. He was too preoccupied with the woman in front of him. She was mysterious and although she was indeed beautiful she seemed to not warm up to him as fast as her father did.

Once the butlers left, she began eating. He took a few bites of his own food and he was glad that it tasted good, but he still couldn't think of something to say.

"My father said you want to marry me" She stated suddenly looking directly at him. Levi was startled again by her strange demeanor, and he eyed her cautiously.

"Yes, that is why I'm here" He answered slowly. After he said that she looked down at her food again and he saw her eyes grow more distant. He took a guess and figured she wasn't too keen on the idea either. He felt bad for a moment but he knew that if he didn't marry her another man would and that other man could be much worse than him. At least Levi knew he would never wish to hurt her.

"You don't seem to like me" he acknowledged, setting down his silverware. She continued looking at her food, almost wondered if she was scared of him.

"I don't even know you" She whispered, he felt bad for her again because he knew that feeling. He didn't know her either but marriage was bound to happen in her life eventually, he didn't know what else she would do and she could certainly do worse off than him.

"I guess that's what this dinner is for" he reminded her. She looked up at him again and nodded.

"I guess" She agreed quietly. She started eating again and he silently cursed Erwin for this idea. He didn't even want this marriage to begin with but he was already here and if he backed out now he could ruin his relationship with her father and damage his reputation.

The rest of the dinner went on similarly. It was very quiet and awkward. Levi didn't know what to say to the girl and he certainly didn't get to know her any better.

After the failure of a dinner her father invited him to his study so that they could chat some more. They talked of random business at first and then they went on a tangent about the estate he was building.

"250 rooms, that is certainly impressive" Mr. Ackerman doted. Levi always felt a since of pride when discussing his almost complete house. It was magnificent and it was the one thing he always wanted in his life, a home. He never had a real home growing up and even now he had a house but it was not truly his, not like this one would be. It was of his own design and he made sure everything would be perfect.

"I wanted to make sure everything was accounted for" he told Mr. Ackerman, who then laughed lightly.

"I do believe after everything you just told me nothing has been forgotten. Now you mentioned it should be done at the start of June?" He asked Levi.

"Yes, it is scheduled to be opened June and I have all the furniture still arriving as we speak" He answered proudly. Mr. Ackerman nodded.

"Good good, then what say you to a wedding mid-June?" he asked seriously. Levi suddenly felt nervous, he wasn't sure this marriage was for the best of causes but he also knew he couldn't back out now.

"Sounds perfect" He lied.


	2. Chapter 2: Newlyweds

**Sorry this took a little while to write, its just the end of the semester and all that jazz**

**plus the revelation in chapter 56 of the manga kind of put me in a panic but I won't give up and ships juuuust yet**

**Thank you to the people that reviewed, you are all so sweet TuT**

**As always I hope you enjoy it**

**Disclaimer: I do not own snk/aot**

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The two sat opposite each other in the carriage as they made their way back to Levi's and Mikasa's newly finished home. Her father asked him to keep it a secret from her so it would be a surprise. He looked at her and tried to decipher what she was feeling. She was silent the entire train ride from Rhode Island to North Carolina and now she was silent as they made their way up the winding path to their house.

She was currently staring out the window with a completely expressionless face, the same face she wore throughout the entire wedding.

The wedding date approached much faster than Levi anticipated. He was trying to keep it off his mind with work and buying furniture and art for his new estate. He was more excited for it to be finished than he was for this wedding.

The actual day of the wedding was chaotic, there were so many people that arrived. He was sure that most of them only came so they could all finally see what the elusive Ackerman daughter looked like. Most of the morning consisted of the wedding party getting dressed and ready

Levi stayed in his suite with Erwin the entire time. He wanted to get drunk but that damn Erwin wouldn't let him.

The ceremony was boring, the only thing that even caught his interest was the how pretty the girl looked in her gown. It was a common style of wedding gown, very large and white. It had white lace flowers all over the bodice and neckline and there were bows on the skirt of the dress where the pickups were dotted all across it. He looked at the faces of all the people in the crowd and he could see them fall in love with her, she was a beautiful woman and her exotic looks only helped attract their interest.

There was only one thing about her that disturbed him was her eyes, they looked so dull and lifeless. She looked like she was walking to down the aisle to her grave rather than to her future husband. He wasn't that excited either but it wasn't like a death sentence.

She was rather quiet throughout the entire wedding reception but she did make an effort to make small talk when she was around her father. He could tell that she wasn't used to being around all these high class families and wealthy socialites. It made him wonder if she was even raised by her father.

Levi took a deep sigh as he tried to stop his thoughts about the wedding, it was causing him to become irritated. He looked back over to his new wife and tried to think of something to say to break the quiet tension that surrounded him.

"Why can't you tell me where were going" She asked him as she continued to stare outside the small window in the cabin of the carriage. He had told her the entire day that it was a surprise but she kept asking him anyways, in fact that was the only thing she ever said to him on this entire trip.

"We will be there soon, I promise" he informed her blankly. He just wanted her to actually converse with him, if this marriage wasn't going to be a complete failure then they needed to get along some sort of way.

She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. He wanted to roll his eyes at her dramatics, she was acting as if she was a princess he kidnapped.

He was about to say something sarcastic but then he saw the front gates leading to the entrance of the estate.

"We're here" he announced proudly. She was sure to cheer up when she saw the house that was technically hers how.

She opened her eyes just as they made their way through the gates and he saw her eyes widen just a fraction and her pink lips parted as she saw the estate for the first time.

Her reaction wasn't exactly ideal for most people but he supposed for her it was all he could hope for. He wondered what she was thinking. Levi himself looked over to his home, it was the largest privet estate in the entire country, it's beautiful courtyard allowed a great view of the massive home. He looked over the house and admired it silently, he was glad he was finally going to be able to enjoy.

They finally pulled up in front of the large double doors and a footman immediately opened the door to try and help his wife out of the carriage. He watched with curiosity as Mikasa denied the hand of the footman and got out on her own, pulling up her purple and white dress a little too high above her knees.

Levi found himself wanting to laugh as he watched the footman try and look away quickly with a blush on his face.

Levi got out after Mikasa and stretched his arms out a little, the carriage ride wasn't as bad as the train ride but he thought it was a little cramped. He looked over and saw Mikasa looking at one of the regal lion statues on either side of the house.

"The inside is far more interesting" he called to her. She looked up at him with a little frown on her face but moved to follow him inside the house anyways. He walked through the entryway into the house, he looked back and watched as her eyes followed the intricate carvings above the door way. He was glad she seemed at least interested in the house.

She finally looked over at him and picked up her pace to follow him inside, they went up the few stairs and walked into the foyer of the home, from there you could see the inside winter garden, the grand stair case, and the entrances to a few other rooms on the first floor.

"Would you like me to show you around?" he offered. She looked up at him and nodded silently, he wasn't even surprised as she didn't say a word to him yet again.

"Have our luggage sent up to the rooms" he instructed to the footman before leading Mikasa through the tour.

"Right away, Sir" the footman bowed and left to go do as he was told.

He walked with Mikasa over to the inside winter garden, as they walked down into it he saw she finally noticed the roof. She looked up at the steel and glass roof, it was intricately laced together and came to a crown in the middle with black lanterns hanging in a circle at the center. The stone sides of the walls gave it an old French castle feel and the summer flowers all around the room gave it plenty of color.

Mikasa looked around the room with wide eyes, Levi smirked to himself.

"This is the winter garden, beautiful isn't it?" he admired. She looked over to him and nodded silently once again.

"Alright, next is the Billiard room" he directed her toward the next room up through the stone archway. The room was in all reds and rich dark woods with a large pool table in the center. He watched as Mikasa ran her fingers over the hand carved wood of one of the tables located near the pool table.

"Do you play?" he asked her motioning toward the billiard table. She looked over at it and shook her head no, as silent as always. He didn't think she did but the girl was unusual and he honestly was grasping at straws to figure out what she liked.

"This way to the breakfast and dining rooms" he told her walking down the length of the room through another set of doors, they walked all through the rooms and he even showed her the loggia that had a spectacular view of the mountain side, he was speechless at the view himself but he wished she would say something, anything.

He was starting to feel like her captor instead of her husband, the word still felt weird to him every time he said it. Husband. He would just have to get used to it, he figured.

"Well I'll show you the last room on this floor and then I'll show you to your room, but after that the rest of the tour will have to wait until after dinner" he sighed looking at the clock. He continued walking down the rest of the loggia and past a set of double doors into the grand library, it was his second favorite room in the entire house but he didn't think Mikasa would care too much for it.

He heard a little gasp and turned around in surprised as he saw Mikasa with her mouth open and wide eyed. It was the first sound she made since she stepped inside of the house. It was also the most emotion he'd ever seen on her stoic face.

She walked into the center of the room and looked around slowly, she seemed entranced by the all the books. She continued walking over the dark wood of the floor and by the large fireplace near the spiral staircase. He watched her as her usually dull eyes came to life, they almost sparkled as she walked all across the room.

"I see, you like this room then?" he observed aloud. She looked back over to him her spell bound stare broken at his words.

"Yes." she breathed quietly. He raised his eyebrows at the fact she spoke to him.

"Well you can come here anytime you want." he mentioned looking at the clock, her eyes dulled again and wondered if he said something that upset her.

"Here, let's show you to your room." he suggested ushering her back to where the stairs are. She looked back at the library one last time wistfully before following him down a hallway with large tapestries hanging down the walls.

The continued to walk back to the foyer and up the grey stone staircase, it had a large three part chandelier that hung down the entire four stories of the winding staircase. They walked up the first story and then into a large living area. He turned to go down another hallway and then up a few set of steps into her large oval room that was wallpapered in gold satin.

The rest of the room was cream, gold, and brass colored. He had a designer do this room in a fashion that he thought a lady would like but she was indeed different from any other lady he'd met so she probably wouldn't like this room after all.

"You can redesign it anyway you wish, I just had it done so that it was comfortable for you to stay in." he explained looking around the bright colored room.

He walked across the room and pointed to a box that had a phone and some buttons on it.

"Here you can call any room in the house and you can call for your ladies maid, whose name is Mina by the way. Oh and my room is located directly down the hall from that door other there" He informed her pointing to another door across the room, as soon as he said this a girl knocked on the door and came in.

"And here she is." he said to Mikasa blandly. He looked toward the young girl and motioned for her to come over to them.

"Help Mrs. Vanderbilt get dressed, dinner is in half an hour and it will be in the breakfast room since it's just the two of us." He commanded and walked out of the door without looking back.

He wanted to understand the girl and do something to make her happy, he was internally cursing Erwin as this was all his idea. He knew taking care of this girl was going to be a hassle and her attitude was not going to help make his life any easier.

After Levi freshened up and got himself ready for dinner he headed back downstairs toward the breakfast room where.

When he arrived some butlers were already preparing the table and announced dinner would be served in about 5 minutes.

"Good, please inform my new wife" he ordered. He still felt wrong saying the word 'wife' it didn't suit him, he never would've guess he would end up married and even less to a woman he didn't even know.

He was trying to be patient and let her cope with the marriage but she wouldn't even talk to him, and she treated him with such distain without bothering to try and get to know him. Levi determined to make her talk during this dinner, they had the whole summer together in this house and he wanted it to be tolerable at least.

He heard her footsteps as she rounded the corner, he looked up and was met with a wonderful sight.

She was wearing a dark blue dinner dress that hugged her body well, she was no doubt beautiful. He remembered at the wedding how all the men congratulated him on obtaining such a beautiful young bride and how they would be jealous of him on his wedding night.

Technically this was not their first night together as man and wife but this was the first night alone, in their new house.

She sat across from him at the oak table. He took a minute to admire her hair, it was long and came down her back in inky black ringlets. He would being lying if he didn't admit that he wanted to run his fingers through the dark locks.

She looked around the room silently and he watched how her eyes landed everywhere but on him. His patience with her was wearing thin, she should consider herself lucky that she was able to live like this, that she never knew what it was like to be poor and have to scavenge for food or a place to sleep at night.

The dinner was brought in as he was watching her, they were served roasted duck with steamed vegetables and had a sweet red wine to go with the food. He began eating as it was served but he noticed she was merely picking at her food with her eyes cast down. She had that same sad look plastered on her face as did on their wedding day.

"Do you not like the food?" he asked trying not to let the irritation show through. She looked up at him and shook her head.

"No, it's fine" she stated and looked down at the food again. He gave a loud sigh and decided to ask her other questions to get her to talk.

"Do you like the house?" he began, she continued to stare at the food and shrugged.

"Its fine" Mikasa answered quietly. He felt a vein pop out of his head at her attitude.

"You seemed to like the library at least, what about your room?" he continued his anger becoming harder to control as she continued her terrible attitude. Once again she shrugged.

"Yes, they're both fine" she said quietly and she pushed her food around on her plate without eating it. He set his own silverware down and crossed his arms.

"Is there something wrong?" he questioned, not even trying to keep the annoyance from his voice. She looked up at him with only mild confusion, and if he didn't know any better he'd say she looked annoyed as well.

She stayed silent but she also put her silverware down onto the table. He was already at a breaking point but her pouting like a child put him over the edge.

"I don't understand why you feel the need to act like such a brat. You now own this house, you have access to all the money you could ever need, and you will never go hungry. There are people that would kill to be in your shoes and yet you piss on it by acting like a spoiled child" he ranted. Levi didn't mean to raise his voice but one thing that bothered him more than anything else but people who took things for granted.

She looked at him dumbfounded for a moment before he heard a sarcastic laugh bubble out of her throat.

"Yes I am so lucky to move from one prison to another, I should be ever so grateful that this one is larger." She spat through clenched teeth. Her hands were shaking and her eyes were alive with rage. He was also pissed off but he noted that her eyes didn't look so dull anymore.

"Prison? You own this house, and you can leave here at any time. Most prisoners don't have the luxury to be confined to something like this." He countered with just as much sarcasm. She stood up from the table abruptly and he was surprised that she was shaking with such anger.

"Let's get one thing straight, I don't own a damn thing. If anything I am a possession simply meant for decoration, entertainment, and when the time comes to breed your children. That's why you married me, I was probably picked out from a stack of girls and you just choose the one that you thought suited your lifestyle most." She seethed. He was still upset from her petulant attitude but this outburst left him stunned and unable to speak.

He did choose her from a handful of girls Erwin had mentioned, and he did pick her out because her family held the most power, which suited his workaholic lifestyle, he felt a small amount of gilt at the truth of her words.

She turned away from him and walked briskly toward the door, he felt a sudden surge of anger at her walking away from him and he remembered that she had not eating anything.

"You didn't even eat" he yelled after her. She stopped at the doorway but did not turn around.

"If you don't eat now I can't guarantee that there will be food for you later tonight" he snapped at her. She started walking again and disappeared out into the foyer. He heard her footsteps sound against the stone floor and up the stairs until they too disappeared.

He was breathing erratically and he ran a hand through his hair to try and process what had just happened. Mikasa did see him as her captor after all, she thought of him so low and didn't even give him a chance to show that he wasn't like other men he's sure she's met.

Then again he didn't really give her time to open up either, he felt a pang of guilt run through him again. He had only given her two days of being newly married and thrown into new place with someone who was practically a stranger. He snapped at her because she hadn't acted the way he wanted her too. Suddenly he felt like such a monster.

"Have a kitchen maid stay up late in case she gets hungry tonight, I'll pay them extra." Levi instructed a nearby butler.

"Yes sir, right away." the butler replied.

Levi sat there another moment before getting up to leave and go to his own room so he could get ready for bed. He had a lot of work to do in the morning and he needed to find some way to show Mikasa that he would try to understand her better.

He took a hot bath and felt a lot more level headed than he had earlier, he decided to go to her room and give her something that might make her feel like she has more control over the house.

He knocked on the light color wood of the door to her room and waited for her to answer.

"Come in" he heard her call softly. He opened the door and stepped inside, she was sitting at the vanity across from her bed in a white nightgown and was brushing her black hair out of their curls. She looked up and when she saw him her eyes hardened as if she was ready for a fight.

"I didn't come here to argue" he assured her quickly but she still looked at him wearily. He walked over to where she was sitting and pulled a key out of his pocket.

"This is a master key, you can lock and unlock any room in the house. I don't wish to ban you from any part of the house and I will respect your privacy should you decided to lock your doors at night" he informed her hoping that she understood the implied meaning, they might be married now but he knew she would not want him anytime soon, and he would never wish to hurt her or force anything against her will.

She took the key from him and he could tell that her own anger had softened a little. She held the key close to her as she stared up at him. He sighed and decided to leave, not wanting to cause her to be upset more than she was.

"Thank you" she said timidly, he looked back at her one last time and gave an empty half smile before he left her room.

He didn't know much about her still but he supposed this was at least a start.


	3. Chapter 3: Opportunity

I'm so sorry for this taking so long TnT (I'm lazy I know)

But here is chapter 3! yay!

Also someone wanted to know why they have separate rooms which I'll explain at the end of the chapter plus I have a question for you guys!

so yea I hope you enjoy~

**Disclaimer: I do not own snk/aot**

* * *

The next couple of weeks Levi spent mostly in his study, he desperately needed to get some paperwork done but he found himself unable to focus very well. At first he thought maybe that it was the excitement of his new house but he often found his mind wandering to what his new wife was doing, she had refused to have dinner with him since that first night and he felt like their relationship was going to fall apart before it even started.

Many of his house maids and butlers informed him what she was doing when he asked, most often they would say she was in the library, he was glad liked at least one place in the house she claimed was a prison.

He felt like throwing something across the room because of his lack of concentration. This one girl was throwing his entire life off course, he knew he shouldn't have gotten married. He just had to go and listen to Erwin Smith's bullshit.

As Levi berated himself in the office he heard a quiet knock at his door, he almost wanted to yell at the person since he had instructed all the staff not to bother him while he was working but he knew that it could be an emergency.

"Come in" he instructed.

A nervous looking Mina walked in to the room. The poor girl looked like she was almost in tears.

"What is it? Has something happened?" he asked worriedly. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but the misses seems to be…uh…missing" she answered him timidly.

His eyebrows shot up at her information.

"What do you meaning 'missing'" he growled in frustration. The girl looked even more nervous now but he couldn't be worried about her feeling at the moment since he had just informed that his new wife was gone.

"Well she was in the library this morning and now we can't find her, we've checked all over the house and even in the gardens." She stammered. Levi wasn't mad at the girl or the staff, it wasn't their fault he was duped into marrying some wild girl.

"Tell everyone to drop what they're doing and look for her" he barked. She bowed nervously and walked out the room to the nearest telephone.

He got up and walked out of his office briskly to go and check for himself too. He half ran down the steps until he reached the second floor where her room was located, he burst into her room and found it empty. He walked over to his room and it was empty too. After not being able to find her in any room on the second floor he found his patience almost completely drained.

He walked down the stairs to the first floor so he could look for there, he knew she liked the library and maybe they had missed something.

He walked past the winter garden which was empty and down the tapestry room which only had a few house maids who were running around like mad trying to find his young wife.

He ran into the library and found it not only empty but in a huge mess. There were books laid out all over the room. It looked like almost a hundred books had been taken out and he was amazed, there was no way she could've read all those books. He picked up one and read the cover.

"Ancient Greek Philosophy" he read aloud. He pushed his hand through his black hair, there was no way she would be interested in something like this he thought.

He looked at another book. 'Japanese Culture and History'

Momentarily he was shocked. This seemed too advanced and boring for a 19 year old girl but he knew she was very different from other young women from prominent families he had met.

He picked up a third book. 'Astronomy and Mathematics'

His mouth dropped open a little at that title there was no way she could understand this, even men who had private tutors had trouble understanding this stuff. He flipped the pages and a piece of paper fell out of the book. He picked it up and unfolded it.

The paper was filled with writing, numbers and equations to be specific. It looked like she had attempted to actually practice the math that was written in this book.

He placed the book back down and just stood there for a minute in thought, there was no way this inverted girl could be doing such advanced math. He never thought a woman would even have any interest in learning this.

He remembered her words she yelled at him during dinner not too long ago. She had told him she was merely moved from one prison to another. He guessed her father held all of the control, which wasn't uncommon for girls in any social status.

He sighed and looked at the books again, her father's wasn't very different from others but she was definitely different than most daughters.

Levi was about to leave the room until he heard a faint sound. He stilled and listened carefully. It was faint but it sounded like humming, a woman humming.

He walked over to wear he suspected the sound to be coming from but it was slightly resonating through the entire room making it difficult to pinpoint.

The sound wasn't unpleasant but he once he realized that it was coming from behind the walls he immediately knew exactly where she was.

He walked past the piles of books and the massive fireplace to where the spiral staircase lead to the second floor of the library that held even more books and a secret room behind the walls. The little door that was hidden into the bookshelf was slightly a jar which caused the sound of her singing to resonate throughout the room.

The melody of what she was singing swirled around him even louder now that Levi was near the source of the music, he stilled for a moment to listen to her. It was foreign to him, he had never heard a song that sounded like it and she was singing in a different language. Her voice was light as air but in a haunting way. He opened the door and quietly stepped inside the small narrow hallway that lead to the secret room.

He walked down the passage way and as he did the singing voice grew louder and louder until it stopped completely as he rounded the corner and saw her sitting in a small loveseat that was in the center of the circular room.

The room was painted in a dark red color, a color that Levi was always drawn to and was even the prominent color in his own bedroom. The furniture was black and ornately hand carved, but only a few pieces were in the set that included the lounge chair, two smaller wing back chairs, a black chest with a table to match, and the love seat his wife was lounging in.

The furniture was upholstered in a plush dark grey velvet with damask print on them. The whole set appealed to Levi but he knew that it was too bold and dark for polite company so he put it up here for the sole purpose of his personal enjoyment but it seemed Mikasa had stumbled upon it and like it as well.

Levi was standing in the entryway to the room and she had not yet noticed him. She was laid back in the love seat with a book opened in her lap, and there were several other books laid about on the table and chairs beside her.

He was shocked to see her practically undressed by society's standards, she had shed her light blue and white day dress and petticoat. She was at the moment wearing nothing more than white knickers and a light pink camisole. Her hair was up in a messy bun and small tendrils of hair fell around her face. The light from the small window was shining on her from behind and Levi was mesmerized by how beautiful she looked, he sometimes forgot in their short marriage that besides her terrible disposition she really was a beautiful woman.

He shook his head lightly to break his stare and knocked lightly on the wall to alert her to his presence. She jumped lightly and looked at him with slightly wide eyes.

"Do you like scaring the shit out of people?" he questioned sarcastically. She looked at him as if he was a pest and went back to reading. He snorted and walked over beside the love seat she was sitting in and plucked the book out of her hand.

"I was reading that" she angrily protested and tried to grab the book back out of his hand, but he quickly pulled it out of her reach. He kept the place of the page she was on but looked at the front cover of the book.

"The Theories of Economic Sciences" he read aloud to her, she was looking at him angrily on the love seat but said nothing.

"I see you have interesting tastes." He mentioned, he looked at the page number and she was about halfway through. She was still staring him down as he gave the book back to her which she snatched out of his hand.

"Have you read all of those books that you have scattered all around my Library?" he asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Most of them and I thought it was also _my _Library too unless you've retracted your earlier sentiment about me owning this house." She snapped at him, she was still very hostile toward him which he was trying to be understanding to. He pinched the bridge of his nose trying to reserve patience for the brat but it was difficult since he wasn't used to dealing with someone so childish.

"You seemed to have prematurely judged me for some reason and I can't say that I blame you but I would like if you gave me a chance to prove that I am not the monster you have painted me to be." He reasoned. She looked at him thoughtfully and the angry look on her face softened a little.

"Come to dinner tonight and talk to me, tell me about yourself. I don't wish to keep you trapped here like a prisoner and I want you to be able to be yourself, even if it's not what society says you should be." He continued. She was looking at him intently as if she was thinking very hard about his offer and then nodded.

"Okay I'll come" she agreed quietly. He felt like a weight was lifted a little as he would get the chance to know more about this mysterious woman he was married too.

"Thank you and I'll let you go back to what you were doing but please put your clothes on before you leave, the staff is already panicking and I'm convinced you'll give them all heart attacks if they see you like that" he pointed out to her. She pursed her lips weirdly and held a slim hand over her mouth, Levi couldn't be sure but it almost seemed like she was trying to hide a smile.

He turned and left the room so he could go back to his study and actually get some work done this time.

The next few hours went by slowly as Levi half focused on his paperwork while the other half thought about what he would talk about with Mikasa, he definitely wanted to know her past. She was obviously of Asian descent and most likely wasn't raised by her father and maybe not even in America.

She was so much different than other socialite women, and even from the women he met during his criminal days. She was very interesting and they might have more in common than it seemed.

After the clock signaled 5:30pm, Levi went to his room to change clothes and wash up for dinner. He was still on edge as he descended the stairs to the breakfast room where they would be having their small dinner.

The chef was cooking a roasted duck with various other side dishes that he hoped Mikasa liked, he felt guilty for not asking what she liked to eat but perhaps he could this evening and make future dinners more to her tastes.

He sat down at the table right at six o'clock and waited for Mikasa to come down, since she would be dressing for dinner she could perhaps take longer. After a few moments longer Levi became very nervous that she wasn't going to come but he relaxed when he heard the rustling of a gown enter the room.

He glanced at her and drank in her image, she was wearing a lavender satin gown that was very simple and fell off her shoulders just a little with a large diamond broach in the shape of a flower at the center of the neckline on her chest. Her hair was pulled back at the front but hung down in cascades of dark black hair around her.

The scar on her cheek was something he wanted to know about the most, it was dark pink and quite prominent when her hair was pulled back.

"Good evening" she greeted him pleasantly, he was glad she seemed to hold back her hostility toward him. She sat down at the place setting directly in front of him, her face didn't have the same blank look as she often wore since he first laid eyes on her. Her eyes seemed like they had more life in them, like she was maybe a bit more optimistic about her situation.

He stared at her with an intense gaze that made her look around the room nervously.

"Talk" he commanded and instantly regretted the way he sounded, like he was barking orders at one of his employees. She didn't seemed phased by it though and cleared her throat.

"What do you want to know?" she asked softly looking down at her empty plate. The food was no doubt on its way.

"I guess we can start with why you read so many books." he suggested. She looked up at him and pursed her lips in thought.

"Well I wasn't allowed in my father's library and so I started sneaking in around late at night after I moved in so I could read. I had to read a lot in a short period of time." She explained. He understood a little more about her now and felt a some guilt for his behavior towards her before.

"He said nothing in there should interest me, but he was wrong" she continued in a low voice. He nodded his head in understanding.

"And where did you get your love of books?" he questioned with his head tilted to the side a little.

"My mother" she stated simply. She was looking directly in his eyes now and seemed more relaxed. He wasn't surprised by her answer but he had plenty of questions to ask her. He wanted to ask more about her mother but he didn't want to pry into deeper subjects just yet.

"You seemed interested in a vast amount of material." He noticed. He took a sip of the water in one of the crystal glasses on the table.

"I like reading about anything, it's nice to learn something new or just escape reality for a bit." Mikasa informed him. Levi watched her eyes grow a little sad and he felt the out of place urge to comfort her in a way.

"Enough about me" she shook her head. "What about your business?"

His eyebrows shot up. He was surprised she asked about that first but he shouldn't put it past her.

"What do you want to know?" he mimicked her from earlier.

Her eyes looked very alive now and he could hardly believe they had looked to dull at one point. They were grey like the clouds from an impending thunder storm, and that fit her perfectly.

"How long did it take to get established? Did you rely on investors or did you come from money? Do you have any partnerships? Have you ever sunk another business? I always heard the Vanderbilt Railroad Co. was ruthless" the words fell from her lips and he felt his eyes widen, he couldn't believe she was this interested.

"Wait, wait. One question at a time" he held his hand up and tried to cipher through her jumble of questions. She looked down at her plate and could see the hint of a blush on her cheeks.

"Let's see, it took me about 5 years to rebuild my fathers failed business. He was too much a of drunk and a gambler to ever do anything with his ideas." He rolled his eyes at the memory of his father. Mikasa looked very interested in what he had to say so he decided to keep talking.

"After my father took off and left me with nothing I went through a rough phase and eventually had to raise the money through uh…questionable means in order to fund this company." He answered another question and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"So you weren't raised like this?" she gestured around the ornate room. He shook his head.

"No, I was raised in the underground of New York" He stated and was almost amused by the shocked expression on her face. He figured she assumed he was a spoiled rich kid and that's why she treated him with such distain.

"But you seem to fit in so well with those people" she spat the last two words like they were poison in her mouth. He understood why she didn't wealthy socialites, half the time he didn't either.

"I just have to do it for appearances and for the sake of my company" he waved his hand in the air as if it was obvious. He watched as her face turned into a pained expression.

"Is that why you picked me?" she whispered her eyes darkening. He immediately felt guilty for his words and he wanted comfort her again and tell her…he thought about what he wanted to tell her, it was true that he picked her for her father's business potential but what was he going to tell her now?

Before he could think of an answer that didn't seem so cold hearted he heard the door open and the butler informed them dinner was served.

He waiting silently for the food to be placed in front of them but before that could happen a loud crash and a yelp resounded through the room and bounced off the walls. Mikasa held her hands over her ears and look behind his head with a horrified expression on her face and looked back at him.

He turned around to see a kitchen maid sprawled out on the floor looking at the plates she had dropped and her eyes were wide with fear.

Levi got out of his chair swiftly and walked over to where two other people were picking up the food already.

"Sir, I'm so sorry! I-I…" She began stammering as she realized her job could be in danger. He could see tears welling up in her eyes. He held up his hand to stop her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked offering his hand to help her up. She shook her head no and the tears began to slide down her red cheeks. She took his hand hesitantly and he helped the brown haired girl to her feet. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Don't cry, it's just a spill. We'll clean it up and everything will be okay." He assured her, she was young and he knew she was supporting her family with this job.

She nodded her head and wiped the tears from her face, sniffling a bit.

"You're not going to fire me?" she sniffed, tears still in her eyes. He knew that most employers with a lot of money expected the house staff to be perfect and treated them like slaves and it caused a lot of stress on them but he was not that cruel.

"No, that would be stupid." He scoffed and she gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, Sir" she said wiping her face again. He nodded at her and picked up a few broken pieces of the plates.

"You can go to your room to change and then try not to worry about this too much, it happens to everyone" he said reassuringly. She gave a little bow and left the room to go to her room as he instructed. He continued to pick up some of the plates as the butlers cleaned the food up.

When he was does he walked back over the table where Mikasa standing with a very shocked expression. He raised an eyebrow curiously at her.

"You're full of surprises" she stated incredulously.

"Ah, you expected me to fire the girl" he realized and he could see that she was ready to come to the girls aid if he had wanted to yell at her.

"My father would've" she mentioned her eyes darkening

"I'm not your father" he reminded her, she was pulled out of her anger and looked straight at Levi.

No, you're not" she agreed her already beautiful face now decorated with an even more beautiful smile. He realized at that moment he would want to see that smile from now on, and that thought scared him a little.

"Dinner is going to be a bit late. Is there anything you want to do in the mean time?" he asked her. He knew she must be hungry but he couldn't make the chefs cook any faster.

"Let's take a walk in the gardens" she suggested. He looked out the window and saw the sun would be setting soon.

"It's getting dark" he mentioned out loud to her. She raised one of her own eyebrows.

"You were raised in the underground and you're scared of the dark?" she challenged. He scoffed and held out his elbow for her to hold.

"Fine, if that's what you want princess" he sighed. She smiled at him in triumph, taking his arm and secretly he admired the way her pink lips turned upwards.

"Tell me more about your company" she asked as they walked out of the breakfast room.

Levi felt like smiling and he tried to smother the warm feeling in his chest. He wasn't an idiot and he knew what love was but he didn't marry for love, he married her for her status and her father's business. He held no regard for her feelings at the time but he found himself feeling more and more guilt about everything. He knew he wasn't in love with her yet but he it wouldn't be difficult at all to do so.

She was rough around the edges, sure but she was an intelligent free spirit who surprised him at every turn. He found they had common interests which was rare to come by in most other women, and to top it all off she was beautiful.

But she made it clear how she felt about this house and if he did love her he couldn't force her to stay with him. He knew if he loved her he would want her to be happy, even if it didn't involve him.

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1. Most married couples with way too much money had separete rooms in that time period because think of all the clothes and stuff they would own! plus women changed their outfits like 6 times a day so it was easier for her to have her own room to change in and have no accidents with her husand bringing his friends in their room when she was changing but most of the time they would sleep together *wink wink

2. Okay by show of hands (or in the reviews) please tell me if you would like a bonus chapter with Mikasa's point of view? it would be posted towards the end of this story but it would be in depth.

thanks again!


	4. Chapter 4: Invitation

I didnt take a month to update awwww yea

Thanks to everyone for the reviews you guys are so amazing! I have taken the time to answer some of the more in depth reviews below the chapter for who ever is interested.

This chapter contains a sort of controversial topic so if I have written info that is false or hurtful PLEASE notify me! I did lots of research but if I messed up something please please tell me, I wont be offended!

One last thing, I am participating in rivamika week so i might be slow on updating (more than usual ha) but if you want to read any of my works not posted to ff just visit my tumblr looren-gay (I write a lot of smut there too *wink wink*)

BUT alas, please enjoy chapter four~

**Disclaimer: I do not own SNK/AOT**

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The sun was setting fast as the married couple strolled into the gardens, the rays painting a dark orange hue across the flowers and shrubbery.

All the way to the gardens Levi answered her questions about his company and he was really glad she seemed interested but for once he had grown tired of all the talk about business, he wanted to know more about her.

Her lavender gown rustled with every step she took, she was obviously uncomfortable with wearing big gowns as she awkwardly held up her dress with the hand that wasn't holding onto his arm. He was very curious to hear more about her, she was becoming the object of his interest very fast, and that worried him.

Levi interrupted her as she began another serious of questions.

"Enough about me, I want to hear about you." he told her. She looked a little upset that he had stopped her mid-sentence but she sighed and agreed to his demand.

"I was born in Japan and lived with my mother, after she died my father decided he wanted me and so I moved here to be raised as you would raise a prize pig to sell to the highest bidder." She clipped. Levi stiffened and she seemed to realize how harsh her tone sounded.

"No offense." she offered a little more gently. He wasn't upset. He felt remorse, even though he had no participation for how she was raised. He didn't know why but he felt guilty.

"I'm sure there's a lot more in-between all that." he suggested. She sighed and let go of his arm to walk near a rose bush full of blooming white flowers. She picked one off and smelled it. She looked out at the gardens and she seemed lost in thought but after a few seconds she turned to face him.

"You don't have any Sakura trees" she mumbled. He arched an eyebrow because he had no idea what those were. She tilted her head at his silence but then seemed to realize he didn't understand.

"They're called Cherry Blossoms in English. In the city where my mom and I lived there were hundreds." She mused. He didn't like the sad look that washed over her features when she spoke of the trees but he did recall that name. He made a mental note to have the gardener to plant some for next spring.

He waited for her to talk further if she wished. The light had faded and the sky was barely lit by the sun which had now sunk beneath the mountains.

"I was born in a town called Kyoto, my mother worked and lived in a Geisha house. I was raised around only women, and each of them taught me different things but I never went to a real school. Other than that my childhood was uneventful." she explained. Levi was didn't know much about any other cultures he had only been to France and England before but he wanted to know more about hers.

"What the hell is a Geisha?" he horribly pronounced the word and she pursed her lips to hide her smile.

"Well, there is no word to translate in English, a Geisha is simply an entertainer. They do lots of things like dancing, playing music, and conversing with clients. They're the epitome of beauty in Japan." She informed him.

"Would you have become one?" he asked. She was very beautiful, no doubt she could have done those things but she shook her head no and let out a sarcastic laugh.

"My mother made me promise to never consider that." she snorted. He tilted his head to the side, confused with her tone.

"There was a dark side to it that terrified her." she continued. He nodded his head in understanding, he knew all about the darker side to things.

The sun had vanished now and the only thing lighting the gardens were the lamps placed all around the house and the glow from the moon. Mikasa twirled the rose in her hand looking at the sky.

"True Geisha are considered to be solely entertainers but there was a lot of houses that started to let men have sex with the girls for huge donations." She finished.

"So they're prostitutes." he stated bluntly. Mikasa looked very offended and Levi instantly regretted his choice of words.

"No, I just said they were entertainers but some of the women were being forced to do those things." She defended herself. Levi narrowed his eyes at her not believing the last part to be true.

She scowled at him and he put his hand up in protest.

"Why would your mother not want you to become one then?" he asked. She frowned and began picking the petals off of the rose she was holding.

"Because a lot of wealthy Men from different countries started to come to Japan and they didn't understand the culture and treated all Geisha as if they were nothing more than simple prostitutes, not true artists. They were willing to pay lots of money for sex and some Geisha houses started to give in to the money and force their girls to do these things. My mother witnessed this and was scared for the." She ranted.

Levi put his hands in his pockets and watched as she angrily plucked all of the petals off the rose. He felt bad for upsetting her, he should've just kept his mouth shut. She walked past a rose bush with red flowers and picked another one.

"So what about your childhood?" she asked as they continued walking.

"It was me just waiting for my drunk father to come home hoping to God he had some food" Levi stated honestly. Mikasa nodded in understanding and waited for him to continue.

"After he died when I was 12 I resorted to joining different underground crime rings and doing odd jobs for them, usually didn't care what I did as long as I had food and somewhere to sleep. I got good at it and then slowly rose up the ranks." He shrugged as he recalled his younger days. It wasn't like he was proud of it but was his past nonetheless.

She was very quiet as she listened to him talk and seemed to think about what he said deeply.

"Don't worry, I never killed anyone" he tried to joke but she looked at him a little startled and he felt stupid for saying that.

"Anyways I straightened out after I turned 19 and used the money I had made illegally to fund my railroad business." He finished his generalized life story and they had reached the center of the garden which was closed in by white lattice fencing and was raised on a stone platform. There was also two white benches, Levi sat down on one while Mikasa stood and looked around the garden. She seemed to be lost in thought, her fingers playing with the ends of her long hair, the rose still in her other hand.

"Don't forget that the gala's next Friday" he mentioned. He really wasn't looking forward to it but it was the public debut of his new house so it was necessary. She didn't move or say anything but he could tell she wasn't happy.

"Do I have to go?" she spoke quietly, he wasn't surprised with her question but he was mildly irritated.

"It'd be nice if you made an appearance" he sighed. He would try to get her to at least show her face but he had made so much progress that he really didn't want to make a fight out of this. She turned to look at him but didn't reply.

"There's someone I'd like you to meet" he informed her. His only friend Erwin would be coming, it would be the first time he saw him since the wedding.

"But I don't have to go if I don't want to, right?" she pressed. He took a deep breath, if he said no he would be going back on his word and possibly push Mikasa away from him forever but if he said yes it could be a public embarrassment that his wife didn't show up for his first party in his new home.

"It's your choice" he decided. Levi never cared about what people think unless it concerned the company. He hated most of the wealthy snobs he dealt with but Erwin had shown him how to handle their world. He choose to enter this lifestyle, Mikasa had not.

"Okay…I'll go." She said quietly. He raised his eyebrow but before he could say anything Mikasa cut him off.

"But I will leave when I want to" she clarified. He was just glad that she agreed to go on her own, he didn't care if she stayed five hours or five minutes.

"Fair enough" he responded. He got on his feet and walked over next to her. She was looking at the night sky, her pale face almost white in the moon's light. Her scar stuck out like a black mark on white paper but he didn't feel comfortable asking about it just yet.

Her eyes were looking at him now, she had a sad expression in them.

"I mean it, everything you do here is your choice." He reiterated. Her eyes scanned his face and he felt his mouth go dry when she looked at his lips a little too long.

"Thank you, Levi" she whispered his name, and all of a sudden their faces seemed very close. He breathed slowly as her pink lips parted a little. He was probably looking at her mouth a little too long as well.

Mikasa leaned into him, he didn't know if it was conscious or not but her body was so close now he could feel her warmth radiating on his skin. A tingle went down his spine when her hand brushed against his and his heartbeat sped up when she closed her eyes.

He leaned into her, his mind racing with what was about to happen and he parted his own lips as he felt her warm breath caress his face. Her lips ghosted against his, the soft skin lightly gliding over his mouth. His stomach tightened as she kissed him softly, he was barely able to move his own lips as his mind was drawing a blank. He never even thought this would happen let alone that he would want it this much.

She pulled back a little and it seemed as if she was going to kiss him again until they both jumped when they heard a butler calling out that dinner was finished being re-made.

Levi jolted back instantly, the spell broken. Her cheeks were tinged with pink and she had pressed her lips inward and together.

"I'm glad you decided to come, I don't want to be left alone with those fucking snobs." he was so flustered he forgot to censor his words and cringed inwardly at his crassness but Mikasa held her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. They walked quickly to the house, he was starving and knew she must be too.

"Do you have a lot of work to do tomorrow?" she asked as they neared the entrance. He thought over what all he had to do and it seemed like a lot to him.

"No, not much" he lied. He opened the door and held it for her. She stopped in front of him and tucked the red rose that she was holding into his jacket.

"Would you want to read with me, in the Library?" she asked shyly. He felt warmth flow through him. He was almost happy that she was asking him to spend time with her which was a total change from just a few weeks ago after their wedding.

"Sure" he responded dumbly. He felt strange, it was almost like hope but sweeter.

Together they walked to the table where dinner was finally ready. He couldn't remember a time where he was this excited to eat with someone but Mikasa was the most interesting person he had ever met in his life.

Being around her was like a new adventure, but like a new adventure it was very nerve racking. He was terrified of scaring her away or doing something to hurt her. He wasn't someone who knew how to make someone happy, most people only invited him because they were too scared not to.

Now there was someone who invited him to be around them because they seemed to truly want his company.

And he was scared his company wasn't enough.

Dinner went by too quickly as they talked about books they loved, Levi found they both shared a love of reading about different wars and strategies used to win them. He listened to her talk about her hometown, how beautiful it was and how much she missed the way it smelled. He discussed how the one thing he couldn't stand about the crime world was how dirty everything was. He never understood why criminals couldn't wash their hands or sweep the damn floors.

He realized halfway through dinner after she laughed at his crude words that she had a dimple only on the right side of her cheek that only appeared when she smiled really big, which was something she didn't do often.

Mikasa yawned soon after the kitchen maids had cleared the table.

"Tired?" he asked.

"I didn't sleep much last night" she explained. He nodded his head and stood up from the table.

"Do you want to go to bed?" he held out his hand to help her up. She looked at him with wide eyes and pulled away from him with her cheeks turning red. He was confused until he realized what his words could mean.

"Not like that, I just wanted to walk you to your room" he cleared his throat, she visibly relaxed some and took his hand hesitantly.

She opened her mouth as if to say something but seemed to change her mind. Mikasa took his hand and they walked up to her room, it was a little awkward after the miscommunication.

They walked up the stairs and through the hallways to her room. Once outside of the door she turned to face him and quickly kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you for tonight" she smiled. He felt like a damn teenager when her small peck sent a jolt of electricity through him.

"No problem" he waved his hand in the air trying to sound nonchalant. She opened her bedroom door and walked inside after looking back at him.

He would be lying if he said he didn't think about sharing a bed with his wife, but he knew she wasn't ready for that and honestly he wanted her to want him too. He wasn't interested in just the sex.

He made his way to his study instead of his room, he wasn't going to sleep much tonight. He had far too much on his mind. He opened the doors to the balcony, the moon was bright and casted a soft glow to the mountain range in front of the house. He could see the trees bending in the cool night air.

He never imagined this marriage would do this to him. He was annoyed by the thought of evening marrying someone and now he couldn't get the woman out of his mind. She was truly the most fascinating person he had ever met before.

He sat down at his desk, attempting to get some or his work done knowing it wouldn't get touched over the next few days.

But his mind kept returning to the kiss.

He ran his finger over his bottom lip, still able to feel the way her mouth felt against his. He plucked the rose that was still in his pocket on the front of his jacket. He placed it in a glass of water that was on his desk from earlier in the day.

The red rose stood out blaringly against the dark colors on his desk, it was similar to the way Mikasa stood out against his the darkness of his entire life.

* * *

Review Answers!

SilverStarlightXD: I love Levi/Petra but I can't ship things where one is dead, I get too sad. Everytime I go into the tag on tumblr I end up in tears :C but I can say that Erwin is not married yet but who knows?

Guest #1: thank you for the critical review! I dont take real critism as negative, I know I make mistakes and hopfully will go through and correct some of those mistakes soon. I dont have a beta mostly because I just do this for fun and my writing happens at random hours so I wouldnt want to bother someone at 5am with correcting my stuff. Im 21 btw.

KittensHellfire: It is not the ending! I have at least 8 chapters planned out plus a bonus chapter

HanjiZoe22: Do I get them now or nahh?

THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to make such nice comments, you guys are just too sweet 3~


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